Champions League Final Sends Budapest Prices Into Orbit

Budapest is bracing for a financial frenzy as the Champions League final descends on the city this Saturday. Housing costs have skyrocketed ten- to eighteen-fold, turning a weekend stay into a four-figure nightmare for fans. A single room in the trendy Jewish Quarter—famous for its ruin bars and nightlife—now goes for up to 4,000 euros for two nights. A two-bedroom apartment in the same area? Try 7,000 euros. A three-bedroom in the historic center can hit 9,000 euros. Even hostel bunk beds are going for 250 to 350 euros a night, compared to the usual 20 to 40 euros just a few weeks later. Hotel rooms that normally cost 70 to 100 euros per night are now hovering around 1,500 euros.

Airfares are equally brutal. WizzAir, which doubled its London-Budapest flights, has hiked prices fifteen- to twenty-fold—from 40-50 euros to 800 euros. EasyJet is charging about 1,000 euros for the trip, while RyanAir round-trips can reach 1,500 euros. Some Arsenal supporters are even considering a two-day bus journey from London to save money.

Budapest Airport expects up to 800 flights on the day of the match and the days surrounding it, with passenger traffic predicted to jump 60% over the weekend. The price surge mirrors the cost of tickets themselves. Official UEFA prices range from 70 to 950 euros, but resellers are asking a minimum of 2,000 euros, with an average of 9,000 to 10,000 euros.

Fans have been complaining since mid-May that 99% of available housing is already booked, calling the rates “horrible,” “insane,” and “out of this world.” Some are planning to party all night, sleep in cars, or fly in the morning of the match and leave immediately after. Others are looking beyond Budapest—to towns like Vác, Győr, Esztergom, or Székesfehérvár, or even Lake Balaton. A few are flying into Vienna or Bratislava, staying there, and driving the short distance to Budapest for the game.